Hexham Abbey is among the Northumberland landmarks featured in a new illustrated book exploring the county’s ancient pilgrim routes and the stories of the saints connected with them.
Northumberland’s Pilgrim Routes: A History of Paths, Places and People, by long-time pilgrim-path researcher Andy Bull, examines the historic journeys, sacred sites and landscapes associated with Cuthbert, Oswald, Aidan and other figures who shaped the region’s early Christian identity.
Hexham Abbey on St Wilfrid’s Way
The book identifies Hexham Abbey as part of St Wilfrid’s Way, a route running north from Hexham into Scotland. The abbey appears among a selection of location images published to illustrate the wider network of journeys across Northumberland and beyond.
Two of the best-known long-distance trails discussed in the book are St Cuthbert’s Way and St Oswald’s Way. Both connect places associated with the Northern saints and lead to or from Holy Island, the tidal sanctuary of Lindisfarne.
St Cuthbert’s Way crosses Northumberland National Park and the Cheviot Hills, following landscapes linked with Cuthbert’s ministry. St Oswald’s Way begins on Holy Island, passes the coast near Bamburgh and then turns inland towards Hadrian’s Wall, reflecting King Oswald’s influence across the region.
Routes, shrines and sacred places
Bull’s book also considers a broader collection of historic tracks and religious locations. These include Inner Farne, described as a remote monastic outpost; the Kyloe Hills near Berwick; and Holystone, a place long associated with early Christian tradition.
Another chapter examines The Way Of The Sea, which leads to Bede’s monastery south of the Tyne at Jarrow. A separate section, titled St Cuthbert’s Posthumous Journey, looks at why the saint’s relics are housed at Durham Cathedral.
The source article says the book places modern-day Northumberland within the larger setting of medieval Northumbria, which extended north through eastern England from the Humber to the Firth of Forth. It also explores how the shrines of Cuthbert, Oswald and Bede came to be associated with Durham.
“While the book focuses on modern-day Northumberland, medieval Northumbria was far broader, running north up eastern England from the Humber to the Firth of Forth, and the northern saints held sway over a kingdom that included York, Ripon Durham and Whitby.”
Bull also writes that the movement of relics helped Durham become a leading medieval pilgrimage destination because pilgrims brought wealth.
The book is aimed at readers interested in walking, British heritage and the history found in familiar landscapes. It contains 100 images, with the 10 photographs accompanying the article presented as examples.
Northumberland’s Pilgrim Routes: A History of Paths, Places and People is published by Amberley and is on sale for £15.99. It is also available in Kindle, Kobo and iBook formats.